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Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper pleaded not guilty to all charges related to his domestic violence case in a Colorado courtroom Monday. A jury is scheduled to begin Nov. 10, with a pretrial hearing set for Oct. 30.
Cooper, 28, was initially arrested June 4 after police were called to his apartment following an altercation with his then-girlfriend. He was charged with domestic violence and misdemeanor criminal mischief. The charges were later upgraded to include felony second-degree assault by strangulation after a further review of the incident that included a report from a nurse who examined the woman the night of the initial incident. The nurse wrote in her report at the time the woman suffered “serious bodily injury” that was consistent with “strangulation with hypoxia” and “traumatic brain injury,” according to an arrest affidavit.
He was arrested a second time June 11 on a charge of violating a protection order put in place after the initial incident.
At his arraignment Monday, Cooper pleaded not guilty to all five charges — second-degree assault by strangulation, third-degree assault by knowingly or recklessly causing injury, criminal mischief, violating a protective order and harassment.
His trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 10 and end Nov. 13. The Broncos are on a bye during that window.
The latest news comes one day after the NFL placed Cooper on the Commissioner Exempt List, which means he cannot play in any games or practice with the Broncos.
“We wait on the league,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after the team’s practice Monday, referring to the unknown timing of Cooper’s eventual return. “The difference now is he’s in the facility, he’s lifting, he’s in the meetings, and he can’t practice. We just wait for this process to play out.”
Cooper will be paid his full salary while on the exempt list and will be allowed to attend meetings and receive treatment at the team facility. Commissioner Roger Goodell has sole discretion to place a player on the list or remove them from it. The exemption is typically used for players who have pending legal cases and/or are still under investigation by the league.
The duration of time players spend on the exempt list has ranged from a few days to an entire season, and there’s no indication yet as to how long Cooper could remain on the list. He could still be subject to a suspension by the NFL.
“In regard to Jonathon being placed on the commissioner exempt (list), it’s part of the process,” Broncos general manager George Paton said. “We continue to take this very seriously. We’re going to monitor all the legal developments and continue to support Jonathan. Jonathan has worked very hard to better himself, and it will be good to have him in the building, being in meetings and just being part of the team.”
Cooper will not count against the 53-man roster while he’s on the exempt list. The most likely player to take his spot in the starting lineup is Jonah Elliss, a third-year player selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Utah. Elliss has 7.5 career sacks for the Broncos, including five during his rookie season. He missed four games last season because of injury.
Second-year player Que Robinson also figures to see his role increase in Cooper’s absence.
“He’s doing really well,” Payton said of Robinson. “I thought this training camp for him was strong.”
Cooper was excused from the Broncos’ minicamp in mid-June after the second arrest, but he reported to training camp along with the rest of the team July 28 and has participated in every practice. He also started the first preseason game in Atlanta.
A seventh-round pick of the Broncos in 2021, Cooper finished second on the team last season with eight sacks. He had a career-high 10.5 sacks in 2024 and signed a four-year extension in November of that season that came with $33 million in guarantees.
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